Student wins £1,000 in national finals in our fourth Young Orator competition

Many congratulations to the twelve finalists from schools across the UK who competed in the final of our fourth Young Orator of Year Competition yesterday!

The talented teenagers presented on a variety of challenging topics, from the impact of cancel culture, to protests in the modern era, AI, and global tourism. 

After much deliberation, the panel declared Filip Szemiczek, from Sir John Lawes Sixth Form in Harpenden, the winner. 

He said:: “It’s genuinely surreal. It’s genuinely a moment that I can’t replicate.  

“The day was just phenomenal; I loved meeting all the other contestants and it flew by so quickly. I’ve really enjoyed speaking and really enjoyed listening to the other finalists.

“My topic looked at whether AI should be allowed to make life-changing decisions over humans. I think we need to be very careful of how we use AI in the future but also balance it with human empathy and understanding. It can help us a lot with research, but only we can make the final judgments.”  

Sadie Bell from Liverpool and Laurena Anderson from Upminster were runners up in the 2026 competition both taking home a prize of £700 and £500 respectively. 

Following the final, Gresham College’s Executive Director, Richard Smith OBE, said: “We congratulate Filip on winning the Gresham College Oracy Competition 2026. He gave an excellent presentation, as did all 12 finalists, and it was a privilege to hear them all. The judging panel had a really difficult time decided who should be the winner. 

“The Oracy contest is an important part of Gresham College’s year and encourages teenagers to develop core skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. And who knows, maybe we have a new Gresham College Professor in the making?

“Oracy might seem like a forgotten art, but our regular lecture programme has more than seven million viewers every year from across the world. Clearly there is an appetite for sharing and learning from each other.” 

The finalists were

• Laura Byrne, Highbury Fields School, Islington
• Adithi Arun Prasath, Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, Brighton
• Khadija Kamaly, The Warren School, Romford
• Erika Fenocchi, Bishopbriggs Academy, Bishopbriggs
• Grace Allison, Dominican College Fortwilliam Belfast
• Sadie Bell, The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool
• Filip Szemiczek, Sir John Lawes Sixth Form, Harpenden
• Jack Parmley, The Green Room College, Windsor
• Laurena Anderson, The Coopers Company and Coborn School, Upminster
• Georgia Rice, Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke
• Labdhi Ostwal, The Henrietta Barnett School, Barnet
• Rayhrn Narula, Newham Collegiate Sixth Form, East Ham

The Young Orator of the Year Competition showcases the communication skills of state school students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland), and Year 13 (Northern Ireland).

The event emphasises Gresham College’s dedication to promoting oracy skills and the importance of effective public speaking among young learners.

A big thank you, to this year's judges: Professor Robin May, Dowshan Humzah, Dr Lade Smith, Anjum Peerbacos, and Isabelle Brookes-Mann.